Light is the most important thing when creating an image. Like artists who use their brushes to paint, a photographer needs the correct light to turn what may be a mundane composition into an interesting one.

When visiting London I try to pick an area for each visit, very often in the city district, though that varies subject to light and weather conditions on the day. Light ebbs and flows, especially amongst the tall buildings of the city, so not only are you looking for that composition, but the type and quality of light to paint it with.  Like water it moves constantly, ever changing in quality and colour.

Late winter, spring and autumn are the best times of the year for good light quality as the sun is lower and the shadows longer and more defined. Summer is fine too, but the height of the sun creates a harsher, less flattering light, though you can do interesting things with it in black and white.

I tend to stick north of the river as the sun streams down many of the side streets in the city area, bouncing off skyscrapers creating interesting pools of light as it does so.

I think photography is very much like fishing, you have to be in the right place at the right time, and that very often involves waiting around for the right subject to walk into your composition. There is a large degree of luck involved, but the more you visit the more familiar you get with the light in that area at various times of the year, hence I seem to focus in or around the financial district as I like the style and aesthetic, the crisp, sharp-suited bankers versus both the historic and modern architecture of this area.

Of course you can come out and play on less clement days too because what you lose in good quality light is made up for by reflections off wet roads, winds that whip up peoples hair and cloths, the appearance of umbrella’s, all things that give you another sphere to work with.

When the days get short and the nights get long I head for the neon lights of the Soho area. In a strange way I find night photography easier as artificial light is constant and always there, so you can identify certain spots to return to later if for example you need a suitable subject to walk into a frame you have seen.

Photography is about discovering your style, I guess your signature, so that when someone sees an image they know it was taken by you. A good example of this is Dan Baker a photographer from Cleethorpes. Most of his work is taken within a half mile strip of the Cleethorpes seafront, but he has created an impressive portfolio from knowing this area intimately which makes his work clearly identifiable. The look and colouration of his images is quite distinct, capturing very much the human element in what is a regular English seaside town. This is very different to my style which I guess is more fine art geometric style, quite at odds with the meaning of street photography, but also a complementary alternative version.

To enjoy street photography you have to accept there will not always be a reward at the end of the day because there is no way of predicting what you may come across. I find if I go out and just enjoy the experience of walking the streets with my camera in hand without expectation, that takes away the pressure of finding that elusive shot you can do something with and therefore makes it more likely to happen.